‘Lightbulb’ by Ula Pomian, 12, cover of the December 2017 issue. A note from William Rubel The December issue is out, and it is a remarkable issue. As you see from the cover, we are continuing to expand our use of photography. What an unusual image! Ula Pomian is using her camera to focus our attention closely on something we never give much though to—the inside of a light bulb. Inspired by Ula, why not use your camera to explore unexpected aspects of the world, to show others what visually interests you? Select the images you feel are most evocative and that most clearly say what you want to say and send them to us for consideration for an issue of Stone Soup. The December issue is our second themed issue. The theme is food. Here is what our editor, Emma, has to say about it: This is an ambitious and unusual issue for the magazine—the first half is made up of five stories, all touching on food in some way, though sometimes obliquely—and the second half is our first Stone Soup collection of recipes. But the division is not that neat. As I read for the issue, I found stories that seemed to beg for a recipe to go with them. And so two of the recipes (“Christmas Cookies” and “Disaster Raspberry Smoothie”) actually came from the fiction pile. Of the stories that come before the recipes, what unites them, in my mind, is their sense of morality. These are stories with lessons, both stated and unstated. What can you learn from them? As you will see, the recipe section is extensive. My colleague, Jane Levi, is the recipe editor. Jane lives in London. I was fortunate enough to be visiting her while her kitchen had become the Stone Soup Test Kitchen, and she was still testing recipes. All I can say is that each of the dishes I tasted was absolutely worth making (and eating!). A thousand thanks to those of you who sent in recipes: we will definitely be publishing more in the future, with an eye on an eventual Stone Soup Cookbook. And, a thousand thousand thanks, too, to Jane. Jane both tested the recipes—she made many of them multiple times—and also photographed them. Here is Jane’s note about the recipes from the December issue: For the last few weeks the Stone Soup test kitchen has been filled with delicious smells, from melting cheese and savoury tomato sauce, via sweet baking rich with fruit and chocolate, to refreshing smoothies and celebratory spiced punch. Every one of these smells and tastes evokes a memory or a feeling, and each one of the recipes in the Food Issue tells a story—of family, of inventiveness, of literary inspiration, of home, of friends, or what happened the last time our writers tasted or made this or that. We’ve loved reading the recipes’ stories as well as making—and eating—every one of them, and we hope you do, too. Write and let us know the new stories they inspire as they travel from our writers’ kitchens and into yours. Let the culinary adventures begin! After you have seen what is here in this issue I hope many of you will be inspired to send in more recipes, along with the wonderful stories that go with them and make us all want to taste and experience new things and familiar favorites alike. And if you try making any of the recipes in this month’s issue please visit the website and leave a comment or send us your photos. We’d all love to know what you think! Until Next Week William How to access the December issue To read the entire December 2017 issue you will need to log into your Stone Soup subscriber account. If you need any help with that, please contact our customer service center on on +1 215-458-8555 or at cafsubscribe@icnfull.com, and we’ll be able to help you get signed in or signed up. Subscribers can also download a PDF copy to print at home or upload to an offline device; or download our app and sign in to read their issues there. We know that there are ongoing problems with the formatting of the PDFs in our PDF archive, and this link to the new page with properly formatted PDF copies of the magazine will get you to the content in its proper form. Non subscribers can also read stories, poems, recipes and reviews, and enjoy some of the stunning art from our contributors at our website, but only a limited number. Remember, the December issue is also published, in full, in print, in the Stone Soup Annual, which you can find in our online store. Holiday gifts! The Stone Soup Annual, 370 full colour pages, containing every issue from 2017 in one volume, begins to ship to everyone who pre-ordered it this coming week. If you haven’t already, order your copies now! A digital subscription which includes the current issues of Stone Soup; over 5,000 fully-searchable pages of Stone Soup material from the past twenty years; blogs by Stone Soup writers—and more—is for sale as a stand-alone gift AND bundled with the 2017 Annual. There are two places to stock up on Stone Soup gifts. The Stone Soup Annual 2017 plus our collection of books, journals and art prints are available at our online store. The Stone Soup Annual 2017 and all subscription packages are available via the subscriptions tab on our website. From Stone Soup January/February 2009 Mirror, Mirror By Sabrina Wong, 10 Illustrated by Tiger Tam, 10 Ellie leaped from the incubator warmness of her covers to get ready for the day that lay ahead. The sun was rising and the day was still in its infancy, offering a new beginning, and new challenges. After spending some time in her closet looking for just the right combination of shirt, pants and boots, she stole one last glance at herself in her dresser mirror. “Yep, that’ll do,” she said, putting down the wand of her Sugar & Spice brand mascara. In the mirror, she saw a stylish girl staring back at her, with streaks
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Nature in Fiji: an Awe-Filling Experience
Map of Fiji. Image by Globe-trotter [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.In November of 2016, my family and I traveled to the island of Vanua Levu, Fiji. We stayed at a place called Koro Sun Resort. Each day the resort had certain events going on that one could sign up for, for no extra charge. Whether it was snorkeling, hiking through the rainforest, or kayaking to a small island, there was no end to the fun. On one particular day, my family and I decided to sign up for a trip to a waterfall. At first we thought it wouldn’t be as good as everyone made it to be, but when our guide stopped the van at a local store and said, “We need to get a root as an offering to the village folk,” we began to realize that the descriptions might be serious. We drove away from the store, past a beach, and finally we arrived in a very small gravel parking lot, off a dirt road leading away from most of civilization. At least we thought so at first. Our guide showed us the trail we would be hiking, and eager to go see the waterfall, my sister and I ran towards the trail. But our guide, Romano, told us, “No. Not yet. You forget that we must give the roots to the village chief.” So we began walking down another path, somewhat wider, and in a matter of about a minute, found ourselves on the edge of a very small village. The metal houses were built upon green lawns that were inhabited by barefoot, running children playing with chickens, puppies, and full grown dogs. The houses were ramshackle and most consisted of only one room, but still, the people were happy. You see, when one travels to Vanua Levu, you think when you walk through the villages, “These people seem like they shouldn’t be happy at all.” But the people are some of the happiest and kindest you will ever get to know. They are not bothered by their small houses. They are simply happy. This is one of the reasons I love Fiji. Romano asked the chief respectfully if he may present his gift, and she obliged. Around her there were other women, all with handmade jewelry, woven reed tapestries, and all sorts of cool rainforest-made items. After the chief accepted the gift, she told my family, who were the only tourists, “It is good that you have asked my permission to see the waterfall. Once some people went to our waterfall without asking, and bad things fell upon them. At the waterfall they got hurt and had to be brought to the hospital. Nobody who has asked permission has ever gotten hurt.” My family and I looked through the trinkets, jewelry, and woven tapestries, for they were all for sale. My sister bought a nice wood turtle necklace, and I got a tapestry for my grandmother. Soon it was time to leave the village. My sister wanted to play with the puppies first though, so we had to wait a little while longer. But then, it was time to see the true aim of our trip to this remote place. We came back to the trail, and began walking. Romano showed the way, but I was hardly paying attention to him. All around us trees, vines, and flowers of all sorts were to be seen. It was a like a huge painting, only better. On one side of the trail there were wild peppers, very spicy, Romano informed us. On the other, papayas grew, wild as well, with elephant-ear plants boasting their huge leaves beside them. Wild coconut and banana trees grew around us too. There was simply no end to the wildlife and plants. Birds flitted around above us, bugs and small animals could be heard in the underbrush. All in all, it was beautiful. Finally, the moment of anticipation came as we began to hear the roaring, rushing cascade we knew was the waterfall. When it finally came into sight, my sister Lena and I ran the rest of the trail, hearts pounding with excitement. And then we arrived. Clear, cool water fell down an outcropping of rock about forty feet high. It collected in a pool that eventually went on to continue the river that flowed before it turned into the waterfall. Romano called it a “natural swimming pool”. My parents and Romano arrived, my father and Romano immediately ripped off their shirts and dove in. I was quick to follow, and after me, Lena. My mother refrained from going for a swim. She thought the water was too cold, for cold it was, but not cold enough to deter me. Romano climbed the waterfall and jumped in, making a huge splash. I must say, he was at least thirty feet up. My father tried to climb as high, but couldn’t. He ended up jumping off at around twenty feet. I climbed the waterfall, but only to about ten feet high. It was an exhilarating jump into the water. We finally returned to Koro Sun Resort. We thanked Romano, and headed to our villa for a rest. Leaving Vanua Levu was very hard and sad for my family and I. It is a sacred place in my heart, for it is one of the places where nature truly rules. I want to protect this place, for future tourism and simply its beauty. I am determined to keep it the way it is. Who will join me?
Sewing: Felt Christmas Ornament Tutorial
These hand sewn ornaments are easy to make and make great gifts. I cut the shapes out free-hand for mine, but there are plenty of free templates on the internet if you prefer. Materials: Black felt Red felt Beige felt White felt White, red and black thread Needle Scissors A black pen (Biros work well) 1. First you need to cut out your felt. From the red felt, cut out: Two identical egg shapes for the body; Two identical leg shapes; Two identical arm shapes. (These should be slightly shorter and thinner than the legs.) Two identical triangle shapes for the hat. (You might want to cut the head shapes out first to check the hat will fit.) From the beige felt, cut out: Two identical oval shapes for the head. (Please consider the shape and size of the body while cutting.) A small oval or circle shape for the nose. (You could use red for this step if you prefer, and, once again, please consider the head size and shape while cutting the nose.) From the white felt, cut out: Two circles for the whites of the eyes (again, head size should be considered) A beard (you can use the picture below for reference and again, it needs to be the right size) From the black felt, cut out: Two tiny circles for the pupils Three slightly larger circles for buttons 2. Using a white thread, stitch the beard and eye whites and nose onto one of the oval shapes, switch to black thread to stitch the pupils on top of the whites. Using the black pen, draw a mouth in the gap in the beard. 3. Stitch the three buttons to the front body piece using black thread. Now, using red thread, stitch the arm and leg pieces to the red body piece that doesn’t have the buttons on it. 4. Then place the other body piece on top, sandwiching the rough edges inside, and stitch the body pieces together, leaving a small gap at the top of the body, stuff the stomach with soft toy filling or scraps of old fabrics. Seal the gap. 5. Stitch the two red triangles together down both of their long sides so that you’re left with a mini hat. 6. Stitch the back head piece to the one with the facial features on it, but before you close up the very last bit, add a tiny bit of filling to the head and then slip it onto the top of the body, then stitch the head to the body to seal it all up. 7. Fit the hat on the top of the head. Once you’re happy with its position, stitch it to the head. 8. Finally, stitch a piece of ribbon to the back of your ornament in a loop, so you can hang your Santa somewhere in the house! I also made a Rudolf ornament using the same principle. The antlers were a bit fiddly to cut but apart from that it was very easy to make. Maybe you could make an angel or Christmas tree as well!
